Mechanism for securing bags or the like



Sept. 6, 1932. H. w. MORRIS 1,875,753

MECHANISM FOR SECURING BAGS 0H THE LIKE Filed July 1B. 1929 Patented Sept. 6, 1932 UNITED 'STATES PATeNr-{OFFICE HAROLD W. MOBB-S, 0F WAIaT-HM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERICK OSANN COMPANY, OF NEW@ YORK, N. Y., A. CQR-,POBIATION-OF NEW YORK MEoHANIsM, 'Foa4 SECURIN'GZBAGS 'on' THE LIKE application ma muy 1s,

It has heretofore been a common ractice to package portions of teain pieces o Amuslin or the like to form what'isknowi as tea balls and while the present invention is not limited thereto, it is particularly suitable in connection with such packaging. `The desired portion of tea being placed substantially in the center of the pieceof muslin,' the margins of the piece are then brought to' ther so as to form a bag loosely enclosing t e-tea and are secured together. f

The presenty invention'fi's'wofli articular utility in connection 4with the' secllrmgfopera tion. To this end r1]."sewviri'ir machinehp the type commonly usedfforsewingon buttons may be used to advantage! i In such machines the button Vis commonly held-in ra'clampt'o present a hole therein in' the pathfof` afnecdlo and between sewing strokesof th-needle'a relative movement Alaterallyof 'the needle path between the needle andttheclamplis produced so that the needle passes alternately through each'of a pair-of sewin'gholesizthe button. In some machines -thismelativelateral movement is yproduced-tiy'xrhfbving the button clamp and i'n-other machineslit is pro duced by moving rthe needle flaterally=either bodily or aboutfa pvot.fg"-Commonly these machines are of the single thread chain type, although a lock stitch two-th'eadjinachine might be used if desired. i 'f' In accordance with thepresentfin'vention any of these button sewing machines 4may be used by substituting for' the button clamp a holder for the bag, orlothermaterial 'toflie wrapped, so relatedto the needle that during the stitching operation theneedle'passes alternately on oppositel sidesof-the'bag lmaterial which is gathered together-to form la bundle where the stitching is'efected, thus to tie or wrap the material of the ba'g together by a plurality of thread loops passed alternately around the bag material on'opposite sides and secured therebeneath.4 Some lor' these stitch loops, ps trticularlyI A,those first placed may pass through portions of the bag material which may chance to bulge into the needle path, this engagement of the loops with the material acting to hold the threads against displacement therealong. This meth- 1a29; A serial no! 379,197.

od wrapping thread loops about' the fabric l ing machine, the side cover plate bein refor moved, showinga bag holder Y substitute thebub'ton clamp.: 1 '.f i 1 -Figure2'is a perspective of the bag holder. fFigui-e Bise cross section of theib'ag holder showing alba'g in position therein. i :Figre 4 is a side elevation of the upper jaw mem r yof the bag holder. .sz Figure. 5 is 4aldetail section on line 5-.5 of Fiurel. I j o; igure 6 i's la perspective of the completed teaball.` f v- Figure 7I is adetail to a larger scale showing the engagement of the thread lo'ops about the fabric of the ball:

,Referring-.tothe drawing, the sewing machine shown in Figure 1 is substantially that shown in the Lyons Patent N o. 1,671,197, grantedMay 29, 1928, in which a laterally movable needle'is employed, the needle vibratinglaberally about a pivot.I -It should be understood, however that the invention is not limited rto -this type of -machine, which is shownyonly. by Way-of example.

The machine as shown in Figure 1 com'- prises a s'uitable base 1 having a-sewing arm 2upstanding from the'rear portion of'the base and extendin thereover toward the front-of the base w ere it is--provided with the sewing head 3. Beneath this sewing head is positioned the work table 4 which is provided with -a suitable opening 5 therethrough throughwhich'the needle `6 may pass. The needle 6, as shown, is carried at the lower end of a needle bar 7 slidable through guides 8 and 9 carried by the head 3, the upper uide being carried by the pivot 10. The ower guide 8 is pivoted to the forward end of a lever 12 having an adjustable fulcrum at 13 by which the amount of lateral motion of the needle may be adjusted, the rear end of this lever 12 having a cam follower 14 riding in a cam groove in a horizontal cam 1 5. ,f This cam 15 is carried at'theupper end Of a rotary vshaft 16 which is driven from the horizontal shaftV 17 which has suitable driving means (not shown) attachedY thereto. `A`The shaft 17 alsol carries an eccentric 18 by which motion is transmitted through an eccentric rod,` 19 to a rock shaft 2() through a crank arm 21 on its rear end. The forward end of this rock shaft 20 is connected through the crank arm 22 and the link 23.@with a Lcollar l 24 adjustably clamped to fthe Aneedle bar 7. By means of these driving yconnections the needle bar is caused to reciprocate to impart sewing strokes to the-needle, andit is also causedtomove laterally alternately in Vopposite directions between'sewing strokes.- At the forward end ofthe shaft-17 is carried somer'form of looper mechansmshown conventionally as a rotary looper -,25 ,=this ,looper-fforming a portion of the stitching instrumentalities. in osition to cooperate with the needle 6 and to crm chain stitches, this machine being a single thread chain stitch machine.

The'arm 2 is shown asprovided adjacent to its lower end with suitable pivot lugs 30 designed to ,receive the button clamp when this `machine. is used for sewing buttons. lVhen usedv for the purpose of the present invention,- these pivot. lugs are employedlto pivotally secure the 4rear end ortion of a 'work holder 31'. This workfhol er, as shown, comprises a plate portion 32 havin secured at its -rear end a Vpivot block -33 a aptedto receive a pivot pin 34 for pivotally connecting the work holder to the lugs 430. Theforward end of the plate portion 32 is so positioned as to normally restupon the upper face of the work table 4 and carries thereon a pair of upwardly extending 'elements 35 'and 36 spaced apart a distance sufficient to permit portions of Va sheet of muslin' orother suitablematerial, such as 40, gathered together in bundle formation and, as shown, enclosing a portionof tea or other desired commodity to be inserted therebetween. These elements 35 and 36 are provided with 4opposed grooves 41 and 42in"their confronting faces which form `passages,to receive the needle 6 outwardly of opposite sides of the gathered fabric material 40 positioned therebetween.

`As 'shownwthe element 35 is narrower and of le'ss height-than' the'el'einent' 36, the element 36 thus serlvngas a guide against which the fabric material :may `be IApressed and then guided down into its positior'ii between the two elements thhsto facilitatethe'insertion of the material finto the holder. The forward a'nd rea-r opposing faces of these elementsare preferably beveled, as shown at 43 and 44, Iin

order also to facilitate the easy placing and removal of the fabric material. The fabric thus gathered together into bundle formation is arranged to be clamped in position between the elements 35 and 36. To this end a pivot block 50 is shown as fixed to the plate 32 to therear of an upwardly bent portion 51 thereof, and to the side of this plate is shown as pivoted at 52 a clamping member 53. The 'forward end of this clamping member is shown as formed as an angle plate 54 which may, when idle, rest upon the spaced upper end portions 55'of the element 36, and which has a air of spaced. downwardly extending feet 57 arranged in a line substantially at right angles or tranverse to the alined relation of the elements 35 and 36, and on opposite sides of the needle path. The upper face 60 of the member 54 is cut away as at 61 in continuation ofthe space between the feet 57 to permit the needle to pass freely therebetween. This member 54 `is fixed as by means of the bolts,62to the rear portion .of the clamping member which as shown has an upward and rearward laterally bent rear extension 66.

y Sewing machines of this type commonly have means for lifting the button clamp from the work table.- The machine shown has such a mechanism in the-rock shaft pivoted in bearings 71imd 72 in the upper portion of the arm 2,'1thi-s freek shaft 70 having a crank arm 73 -to which is attached a chain 74 to the lower end of which the button clamp may be fixed. The 'shaft'70 may be, rocked against the action ofaltorsion spring 75 by any suitable meat1 s,such for example, as a treadle as disclosedm'ore particularl inthe Lyons patentj hereinbef'ore referre to. There the work holder hereinbefore described is employed, this chain 74 may. be fixed thereto, as, for example, on the pivot 52 so that the work holder may be raised from the face of thc work table, and this raising of the work holder may be utilized Yto lift the clamping member 53 from engagement with the fabric placed vbetween the elements 35 and 36. To this end there may be fixed to the lower portion of the machine, an arm having a slotted extremity inwhich the laterally turned end 66 of the clamping member may be engagedA so that as the work holder is raised the 'clamping feet are caused to be swung upwardly at a `faster rate than thc work holder, due to the fact that the rear end of the clamping -member is prevented from rising with the work holder by reason of its engagement with thefixed plate 80. In order that the normal clamping position of the feet may be adjustedin accordance with the size of the bundle of fabric, this arm 80 may be adjustable. AAs shown this may be accomplished 'by forming this ar'm in two parts having a pin and slot 'connection with each other as at 82 (see Figure 5).. The lower ends of the feet 57 are preferably provided with teeth or prongs 85, those of each foot being directed away from those of the other foot so as to tend to stretch the material lengthwise between the elements 35 and4 36 when the feet are brought down thereon. The lelement- 36 also acts as a stop to limit the .descent of the clamping member when-no-fworkvis-in the holder, thus protecting the contactin with and being parts of t e holder.

The bag having been formed and the gins of the fabric material having brought together inserted in the work-holder between the elements 35 and 36 while the forward end of the work holder is in its raised position, the work holder is allowed to descend to the face of the work table which brings the feet of the clamp down against the work. The stitching operation is then performed, the needle passing in its stitching strokes alternately through the passages formed by the notches 41 and 42 in the elements 35 and 36 so as to lay thread loo' s alternately over and down oppfgsitf sides o the fabric, these loops beinv engag'e'd"be1ieath the fabric in chain stitc i formation by reason of the looper mechanism hereinbefore referred to. As is usual in button sewing machines of the single thread type, the last two strokes of the needle may be caused to take'place in the same lateral relation between the needle and the work, thus to tie the thread at the end of the sewing o eration. Then the operator raises the wor holder, which acts to break the thread adacent to the knot as well as to lift the clamping member, whereupon the tea ball may be removed from the machine, and another which has not been tied placed in position therein.

In Figure 7 is shown somewhat diagrammatically for the sake of clarity, the lower face of the bundle of fabric where the successive stitches are secured together in chain stitch formation, the successive stitches as placed being represented by a, b, c, d, and e, respectively. Of course in actual operation these thread loops are tightly engaged with each other in usual chain stitch formation. It is, of course, evident that were this work holder applied to a two-thread machine, the thread loops would be interlocked with a second thread on the under side of the fabric bundle in the well known manner of a lock stitch.

From the foregoing description of an embodiment of this invention, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

l claim:

1. In a sewing machine, sewing instrumen- Xuiieby 'astral talities, means, including pairs of spaced elements, the spacing of the elements of one pair beii'igi transverse' to the spacing of the Aelem'ents of the other pair, for holding material gathered together to form a bundle'-,s and means for movinfv said instrumentalities and hoiding meansmelatively during the sewing operation to'eause stitches to pass alternately Q.verfand about o posite sides of the material Mid 'bqbe secure to ether therebeneath.

@ gllna sewing mac ine, sewing instrumen- .'ties incluldinga needle, a bed plate having openingfthrough which saidmeedle passes,

- lateaboi'is'aid opening, said wo'rk holder aving spacedlupwardly extending elements between which material gathered together in bundle-formation' may be placed,a clamping member foi-said holder hav'ng-arpair of feet spaced apart on ,opposite ,desrof' the needle path foriengagmeiit tlieumaterial between saidelenieii'ts for raising said holderl froxn means actuated by the misiiigel:iai-d,l elder for lifting Said feet from clampiiigje'igagement with said material to permit Vremoval or insertion thereof, and means for moving said needle and holder relatively laterallyjoffthe needle path during the stitching opeition to cause stitches to be passed alternately over an about opposite sides of the material between said elements and between said feet and to be secured together beneath said material.

3. A work holder comprising a plate having an opening therethrough elements upstanding on opposite sides of said opening and between which material gathered toether in bundle formation may be placed to engaged on opposite sides thereby, and a clam member havincr feed spaced apart substantially transversely to said upstanding elements for engagement with said material adjacent to said upstanding elements.

4. A work holder comprising a plate having an opening therethrough, elements upstanding on opposite sides of said opening and between which material gathered together in bundle formation may be placed to be engaged on opposite sides thereby, and a clamp member having feet spaced apart substantially transversely to said upstanding elements for engagement with said material adjacent to said upstanding elements, said feet having work-engaging portions inclined in op material lengthwise between said elements.

5. A work holder comprising a plate having an opening therethrough, elements upstanding on opposite sides of said opening and between which material gathered together in bundle formation may be placed to be engaged on opposite sides thereby, and a clamp member pivotally connected to said plate and having feet spaced apart substantially transversely to said upstanding eleite directions to tend to stretch the den . ments for engagement with said material adjacent to said upstandin elements, said clamp member bein rockab e about said pivetal connection to rngsaid feet into and ouatl of clamping. engagement with the mater1 6. A work holder comprising a plate having an opening therethrough elements upstanding on opposite sides of said opening and between which -material gathered together in bundle formation ma be placed to be engaged on opposite sides t ereby, and a clamp member having feet spaced apart substantially transversely to said upstanding elements for engagement with said material adjacent to said upstanding elements, one of said elements being larger thanthe other to serve as a guide against which the material may be engaged to be guided thereby into the space between said elements.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.V

HAROLD W. MORRIS.

CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION.

' Patent No. 1,875, September 6, 1932.

HAROLD W. MORRIS.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3. line 105, claim` 3, for the word "feed" read feet; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thi! correction therein that the same may conform to the record of 'the case in the Patent Office. l Y

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of November, A. D. 1932.`

M. J.- Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

. ments for engagement with said material adjacent to said upstandin elements, said clamp member bein rockab e about said pivetal connection to rngsaid feet into and ouatl of clamping. engagement with the mater1 6. A work holder comprising a plate having an opening therethrough elements upstanding on opposite sides of said opening and between which -material gathered together in bundle formation ma be placed to be engaged on opposite sides t ereby, and a clamp member having feet spaced apart substantially transversely to said upstanding elements for engagement with said material adjacent to said upstanding elements, one of said elements being larger thanthe other to serve as a guide against which the material may be engaged to be guided thereby into the space between said elements.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.V

HAROLD W. MORRIS.

CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION.

' Patent No. 1,875, September 6, 1932.

HAROLD W. MORRIS.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3. line 105, claim` 3, for the word "feed" read feet; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with thi! correction therein that the same may conform to the record of 'the case in the Patent Office. l Y

Signed and sealed this 22nd day of November, A. D. 1932.`

M. J.- Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

